Marine life-saving apparatus



Dec. 31, 1929.

Filed Nov. 2, 1928 Patented Dec. 31, 1929 u tra stares ZPA'IENT OFFICE ARTHUR LEHR; 0F HAMBURG, GERMANY MARINE nrrasavrir'e gymnasts Application filed November 2, 1928 Serial 1%. 316175 1, and in Germany Aiigust 20, 192%.

This invention relates to a marine life saving apparatusof the type composed of a buoyant bench which is ordinarily used as a seating accommodation, the buoyancy'bein'g obtained by the provision of floatsinside the bench; Ordinarily the floats are fixed to the bench, and the latter, particularly in unloaded or slightly loaded condition, is easily capsized under attempts to board it from one of the sides.

The obiect of thepresent invention is to produce a bench Which, without any altera-' tion in itsnormal shape, will maintain its proper position in the water even if unequally loaded or if tossed by waves, and; the invention consists in providing the bench with swivel-1y mounted floats adaptechon the benchbeing set afloat, to turn automatically from g a longitudinal into a transverseposition relative to the bench;- Thefloats are longer thanthe width of the bench and will therefore, when in the transverse position, prevent the bench from being capsized;

Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a side viewer an apparatus according to the invention,

Fig. 2, a top View of the same,

Fig. 3, a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the top bearing of the float,

Fig. 4, a sectional view of the bottom bearing and actuating mechanism, and

Fig. 5, a top view of the float-arresting device.

The bench a is of the usual construction and is fitted with elongated floats d which are longer than the width of the bench so that, when arranged in the transverse position 0?, they will maintain the upright position of the bench and prevent the latter from being capsized by waves or by unequally distributed load.

The floats are swivelly supported in the bench so that they can be turned through and normally maintained in a longitudinal position within the bench, thus enabling the latter to be used in the ordinary fashion as a seating accommodation. The floats are locked in both positions and are adapted, on the bench being set afloat, to turn automatically from the longitudinalinto the traas-- verse position relative to the bench;

The manner in. which the floats are mount:

edand actuated so as to perform this automatic movement may be varied, the preferred bench; Secured within the lowerend of the shaft is a spindleg which is arrangedto slide and rotate within a mounted in a longitudinal bar a at the foot of the bench: The spindle g isfitted with a collar owhereby it rests naturally on the cap is" and sup ports the float on'the'latterl Arranged within the cap I? is a flanged sleeve it which is rotatable elanve to the cap coupled to the spindle by means of a feather which engages ina longitudinal; groove m in the spindle. A helical spring awhich surrounds the sleeve h, has one; end secured to the latter and the other end secured to thefcap 70. Through the medium of the sleeve h, the spring a tends to turn the float (Z into the transverse, operative position CZ. Secured to the lower end} ofthe spindle g is a disc at which is provided with two ratchet teeth a and ac adapted to copperatewith a pawl r, the latter being pivoted to the underside of a plate Z fastened tot'he hard, The pawl T in cooperationwith the same during its axial movements. A bracket p, whichalso depends from the plate. l, has a l-ug 39 adapted to engagein a narrow notch 0 in the discn only when the latter is in its lowermostpositioii Normally the floats are carried by the bench and maintained by gravity in their lowermost positions, The lug. 7% of the bracket 19 engages in the notch 0 ofthe disc-a,

and the ratchet tooth a; is engaged by the lug r so that no rotar displacement of the floats can take place. hvhen the bench is set afloat, the conditions change in that the bench will be carried by the floats relative to which the bench andthe arresting disc n will be displaced. On being thus displaced, the disc n is released from the lug p and will then be able to turn under the influence of the spring 2'.

1 The floats will therefore be placed in their longitudinal positions relative to the bench as soon as the latter enters the water. In the operative positions of the floats, the teeth u will be engaged by the pawls 1', and the shoulders s at the ends of the notches 11 will be placed against the abutments 9, so that in this manner an automatic locking of the floats in their operative positions will take place.

The manner in which the bench is thrown overboard is immaterial to its proper functioning. If it should be inverted, for instance, the floats will at once be displaced by V avity and will turn into operative position efore the bench reaches the water. For re- 2Q. storing the elements to their normal positiions, the pawls 1' have to be released from the teeth u and the floats turned in' opposition to the springs 1' until the lugs p can enter the notches 0.

The disc n and the other locking elements are enclosed in a tightly fitting cover t.

The apparatus is particularly suitable for use instead of life-boats on river and canal boats. It will also provide a readily available 5 life-saving raft on sea and river shores where bathin and boating are carried on. Being incapa le of capsizing, the bench can easily be climbed upon from the water.

The automatic positioning of the floats may be effected by other means than those described. For instance the spindle 9 may be provided with a screw-thread engaged by a nut or a feather so as to cause the float to turn on being axially displaced.

I claim:

1. A life-saving apparatus comprising a bench, elongated floats mounted swivelly within said bench, and means for turning said floats automatically from a longitudinal into a transverse position relative to the bench on the latter being set afloat.

2. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 in combination with means for retaining the floats normally in the longitudinal position, and means for locking the floats automatically in the transverse position.

3. A life-saving apparatus comprising a bench, vertical shafts arranged within said bench so as to allow of rotary and axial adjustment, elongated floats mounted on said shafts so that they can be turned thereby from a longitudinal into a transverse position relative to the bench, means for maintaining the floats normally in the longitudinal position, and means for causing the floats to turn in the transverse position when they are axially displaced by the upward thrust of water in which the bench is set afloat, and means for locking the floats automatically in the transverse position.

at. A life-saving apparatus comprising a bench, elongated floats supported within said bench so as to allow of being axially displaced and of being turned in a horizontal plane from a longitudinal into a transverse position rel ative to the bench, means adapted to retain the floats normally in the longitudinal position and to release the floats when the latter are axially displaced by the upward thrust of water on which the bench is set afloat, springs tending to turn the floats into the transverse position when thus released, and means for locking the floats automatically in the transverse position.

5. A lifesaving apparatus comprising a bench, vertical shafts mounted slidably and rotatably within said bench, elongated floats mounted on said shafts so as to allow of being turned thereby from a longitudinal into a transverse position relative to the bench, springs controlling said shafts and tending to maintain the floats in the transverse position, a disc secured to each shaft, ratchet teeth and shoulders formed on said disc, a lug arranged so as to engage between shoulders on said disc and retain the float in the longitudinal position while the float is carried by the bench and so as to release the disc when the float is axially displaced by the upward thrust of water on which the bench is set afloat, an abutment cooperating with a shoulder on the disc so as to determine the transverse position of the float, and a pawl adapted to engage a ratchet tooth on the disc so as to lock the pawl in the transverse position.

ARTHUR LEHR. 

